Subject: Re: Medieval Cappucino

From: [email-masked] (Stephen Bloch)
Date: 28 Jan 1994 23:54:27 -0500

>In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] wrote:
>> Coffee hits England in 1583, ...

David Friedman <[email-masked]> wrote:
>What is your source for this date? C. Anne Wilson, _Food and Drink in
>Britain_, dates the first coffeehouse in England to 1650, and I have not
>seen evidence for use earlier. The Larousse Gastronomique says that Coffee
>reached Italy in 1615--although I would consider it a less reliable source
>than Wilson on matters historical.

Harold McGee, _On Food and Cooking_, says:
  ... Venice became acquainted with coffee through the spice trade in
  the 15th century, and in the 16th and early 17th centuries, English
  travelers discovered it.  [Quotes from English travelers, 1601 and
  1607, not entirely complimentary, omitted.]
     Despite this preliminary judgment, the new drink was a sensation
  across Europe.  First brought to England around 1630, it became
  ensconced in London coffee houses in 1652, and Parisian cafes (named
  with the French word for coffee) followed about 8 years later....
  On December 23, 1675, Charles II of England issued "A Proclamation for
  the Suppression of Coffee Houses."  [quote omitted]  The public outcry
  was so great that the proclamation was revoked on January 8.

Then again, McGee is also says the only bean known in Europe before
1492 was the fava, so take that for what it's worth.  The apparently
relevant entries from his bibliography (he doesn't give specific
endnotes) are
  Robinson, E.F. _The Early History of Coffee Houses in England_
     London: Kegan Paul, 1893.
  Schapira, J., D. Schapira, and K. Schapira.  _The Book of Coffee and
     Tea_ New York: St. Martin's Press, 1975.

-- 
					Stephen Bloch
				     [email-masked]